Susan McMillan, an Arabic Translator from Portland, is on Jeopardy! Friday

Susan had to really study to make the cut for Jeopardy!

According to the Portland Press Herald, 35-year-old Susan is an Arabic translator and Army reservist from Portland. Alex Trebek's announcement of fighting cancer made her want to get on Jeopardy! and quickly!

She took the 50-question qualifying test online just as the pandemic was gripping us last year. She believes she got at least 40 correct. She's a smart cookie and was a reporter for the Kennebec Journal in Augusta and left that to train to become an Arabic language translator.

Even though she did well on the test, she told the Portland Press Herald in a phone interview, that a record number of people took the test in 2020. So her chances of making it on the show were slim. But she made it and got the call in December to come on the show in Los Angeles. But she asked to push it off a month, because she had family visiting. They said yes and she got another month to study! And we're talking deep dive studying! She studied classical music, ballet and opera! Oh, she's gonna kick some serious butt.

She was nervous and can't say how she did, but we don't have to wait long as her episode will air Friday with Dr. Oz as the guest host. She did say that her studying came in handy...but that's all she's spilling.